Tidal Waves
by AlternativeRocker
Summary: "Transforming the mundane events / A perfect balance / Two parts: tantrums and tidal waves / Two parts: blissful and baby faced" - Admiral Fallow... AU ficlets where nothing bad happened for Howard, baby Howmma and Emma.
1. First Night

**Note:** After a little persuasion since I'm quite new to the show, this is my first go at Doctors fanfic and it will be a series of glimpses (for as long as this fluff is wanted, and possibly not in any order) into Howard and Emma raising their baby.

* * *

Manoeuvring to unlock the front door with a carry seat would take some getting used to but he mentally countered with himself that they had time to learn. It was Emma and their new baby's first night out of the hospital. Both had been kept in a couple of days for observation but were given the all clear.

Howard had spent the past 24 hours obsessively tidying his home to make it free from any potential dangers, to the point that he no longer seemed to have any possessions. Leaving them in the living room he went to make sandwiches and a cup of tea for Emma. This was brand new territory - they were used to the other's company and now had to adjust to a third family member.

After a few minutes he walked through to the other room and saw her sitting on the sofa, with the Moses basket containing a sleeping John Bellamy in front. The plates of food were put to the side as he joined her, wondering what good he had done in a past life to deserve this.

"Look at his tiny little fingers." Emma whispered, gazing down at their creation. She had barely taken her eyes off him except for sleep so the room could be a total mess and she wouldn't notice - not that she planned to inform Howard as he was trying his hardest.

"Definitely gets those from you."

"I'm shocked you could find a ring small enough for my child-like digits then." She muttered sarcastically as she toyed with the silver band on her left hand. Howard had proposed when they got back from a concerned trip to the hospital which turned out to be nothing to worry over. Without any pause for thought she had accepted and there hadn't been a second of regret since.

It took her a while to get her head around future Baby Bellamy-Reid losing out on the latter part of the name as she knew she would be charmed into changing her surname once they eventually married. Although she knew the unborn child would not know any different with having one name over another, she went through a phase of wondering if not seeing any written link to her from day one may affect the bond she established. All that paranoia evaporated when she - with Howard next to her being the awkward birthing partner she had expected - heard the first cry, she knew she loved him unconditionally.

"It was a lucky find. Seriously though how are you?" In the concluding weeks of pregnancy he had became anxious over every single groan she made resulting in her raising her voice on several occasions. She hoped that he would calm down soon yet deep down she did appreciate how much he cared.

"Never been better - or, at least I'm as good as I can be after having a kid but you get the picture." She replied, wrapping her arms around his body.

Howard put an arm around her shoulders as he used a finger on the other hand to smooth down the dark hair of their son. "I am so proud of you," He said, pressing his lips to the top of her head.

"I think you've told me before."

"Well, I am not going to stop telling you because you make me the happiest man on the planet, along with this one who has the right idea of getting some shut-eye."

"I love you Howard."

"Love you too. After this snack do you want to go have a sleep yourself?"

She had been sleeping well but now that he mentioned it a wave of exhaustion hit her, "That sounds heavenly but would you be all right if he wakes?"

"Emma, he's barely bigger than my hand, how much hassle can we get into for the half hour you will stay away for?"

"I suppose if he wakes you could always tell him about that new management idea you have, you know the one involving an amalgamation of computer database... things." She wished she had just went for 'spreadsheets'; at least she wouldn't have lost her train of thought and conveyed her habit of thinking about alternatives when he spoke professionally.

"I blooming knew you weren't listening, it could vastly maximise productivity. Mark my words, Emma, when you come running back after maternity leave it will be like a different and smoother health centre."

She widened her eyes and nodded, not believing entirely how amazing his plan would be in the real world - inside his head he was a master of everything yet it didn't always turn out that way. Moving closer to the baby she put on a stage-whisper to talk, "I'm so sorry John for not giving you the choice of fathers but you'll learn skills that help to love him. I can guarantee he will forget that you don't really care about the kind of facts he finds interesting but look cute and he'll eventually move on."

"You cheeky sod." He chastised but her laughter, however, was infectious and they were soon giggling as they looked at their partner. It felt like a release, allowing the buildup of emotions from these months gone by to be expelled in a positive way.

When they caught their breath finally, Emma wiped away tears that had ran down her cheeks and was shocked to see their son still sound asleep. "He must already have learnt to blank out our silliness."

"He's had a lot of practise." She heard Howard's deep voice so close to her ear and she wished she could see a vision of the three of them from a distance just to see if it was as precious as it felt. Regardless it was going to be treasured for the rest of her life.


	2. Staff Meeting

Howard and Emma both now took full advantage of their phone cameras to take snapshots of the new addition - plus their partner's intriguing attempts at parenthood. That had lead to it becoming a daily Mill ritual for him to show off what had happened overnight in the week since returning from paternity leave. The other staff were welcoming this as most had not yet seen the baby in real life and it was a nice change to see the practice manager so happy.

"You have meetings this morning but for some reason your afternoon ones seem very condensed." The prospect of getting to his office in a morning without the dulcet tones of their receptionist interrupting his thoughts was always somewhere in his brain but then he realised it wouldn't feel right without it.

Smiling back over his shoulder he replied, "I know, Mrs Tembe, I am taking a long lunch."

He had turned away by the time she started to speak again. "No pictures today, Mr Bellamy?"

"I thought you would like to meet the little man himself. Emma is begging to get out and see everyone so I will go pick her up, come here to see everyone and then drive them back."

"Oh, that is a lovely idea!" She said, clapping her hands together.

A few hours later it was approaching the end of the lunch period when the front door opened and Howard held it open for the other two. Mrs Tembe had clearly told the others to expect a visit as they all appeared from different rooms within seconds.

Emma was aware she probably looked exhausted but that had been the same as when she found out about the pregnancy so hopefully nobody would mention it. Before leaving the house Howard was his ever-supportive self and claimed she hadn't exuded such a radiant vibe in all the time they'd known each other. He had received a simple glare in response.

"Hiya all of you. I would like to present John Bellamy who is far too awake for an eighteen day old, aren't you?" Emma said, one arm supporting him as her finger on the other was being held in the small fist.

"Now, isn't he just the cutest thing you've laid eyes on?" Karen cooed once she had went across and tickled his stomach, receiving a gurgle in return. She raised an eyebrow, silently asking if she could have a shot of holding him which was quickly followed through with.

"We're pretty pleased with him ourselves." Emma said, leaning into Howard's side while catching his eye with a grin.

"He's on the best of behaviour today, clearly trying to get high on everybody's Christmas lists."

She nodded in agreement, grateful the crying had abated for the time being. "As usual he had a wobble when he sensed you were gone but I think the fact he then had a nap on me helped a lot."

"So is he a daddy's boy then?" Daniel asked, playing with the small soft toy that Al had produced from his office as a present

The new mother sighed, "Oh god, yes. I thought I had an ally coming along but then he swapped allegiance. I'm still hoping forced time with me will sort that glitch." She was exaggerating the bond between these two males but the younger definitely knew when one parent was missing in a room.

Niamh offered her hands to Karen who carefully passed over John in his green babygrow. "He is gorgeous."

"You've seen him practically every day, you don't have to act as though you haven't." Howard commented, shaking his head as he considered how few evenings in the past two weeks they had as only the three of them. He was not honestly annoyed by it, the company was pleasant and there was a bubble of calm brought by Niamh and Ayesha meaning he was not annoying Emma as much as possible. Luckily though, because of this visit to the centre their home would not be a passing place for the women and they could be just themselves.

"Exactly, he gets more adorable each time."

"That is a true fact."

Emma decided to speak at that moment to the group as a whole, she could gush about this baby until she sent herself to sleep and had listened to Howard and Niamh doing this exchange repeatedly, so needed to pause it. "By the way, thank you everyone for the presents although I don't recall the colour of the rug under all of them. Daniel, especially thank Joe for the handmade card, it was so sweet."

"No problem, he enjoyed doing it. Zara sends her best, however we apparently aren't offering babysitting duties until he is an awful lot older."

"She Who Must Be Obeyed has spoken," she muttered under her breath with a smirk. The two men involved with these women rolled their eyes, having grown used to this particular unique friendship.

"What are you doing for the rest of the afternoon?" Niamh enquired, not taking her eyes off the baby and more than likely not caring about the answer, only postponing their departure.

"Depending on his feelings we may be numbed by awful daytime TV or we could have a session of him being sick all over me. It's usually one, the other or both until his daddy comes home and he turns into this angel."

"That was his greeting to me last night!"

"But it was done in a loving manner." Emma said grudgingly, she knew she was being petty and not appreciating the random moments that made her heart burst with joy while Howard was at work. At that she thought of the impromptu pictures she had taken in the past few days and sent to him, grinning in spite of her outward complaints - she wouldn't have it any other way.


	3. Feed

**Note:** After today's episode I've changed baby Bellamy's name to stick with Emma's preference. Shorter snapshot here but another will go up tomorrow.

* * *

"Emma." Howard could barely keep his eyes open himself and he did not enjoy waking up his exhausted other half but this was one act science had not yet given men the ability to do.

"What?" Her voice was thick with sleep and he could see with the light from the window that her eyes were still firmly closed.

"He wants fed." Bouncing John up and down gently in his arms he tried to calm this situation. It was early summer yet standing around in only a pair of boxer shorts was not the warmest of options.

"Hmm," He could tell by that she was already beyond halfway back to sleep.

"Emma!" John was already crying the place down so speaking a little louder would make no difference. His neighbours had informed them recently that the walls were not thick enough to block out the wails, which resulted in almost daily embarrassment and apologies - and questions of how much else had been overheard between the couple before the birth.

"No," she moaned, pulling the duvet up to her forehead. He had to go through this same scenario every few nights where she acted like a petulant child or teenager who was being forced to get out of bed. She truly could not wait until she got a full night's sleep again, it was a distant memory for the pair of them now but it had taken its toll on Emma more. The fact she had been kept awake a lot during pregnancy because of the need to empty her bladder had not helped her mood in any way.

"Wake up." He said, leaning over and pushing against her shoulder several times.

"I hate you." She said without any trace of actual menace, taking the tiny person in to her arms after pushing herself into a sitting position.

He dropped a kiss to her forehead as she rubbed her eyes with the back of one hand to make her slightly more alert at two o'clock in the morning. "I know you do, love."

"And don't you dare think you can go back to sleep yet. You're staying awake for as long as I am."

"I don't think I'd get back to sleep anyway. This is the real reason couples our age should be warned against kids: you'll never again get those three hours of sleep a night which you previously thought was already too short."

"Exactly, and even when he naps there isn't any time to do the same as there is everything else to do. I'm sure he cries in your accent by the way, that's how I have already learned to tune it out." She stuck out her tongue playfully, feeling it necessary to irritate him for her being awake.

"That's not even possible, I thought you were supposed to be clever, Dr Reid." He countered as he sat next to her, their son finally quiet now that he had what he wanted.

"Baby brain must be a true phenomenon then."

"I thought that was just you being you."

She narrowed her eyes at him before resting against him, John laying on her abdomen. Within a couple of moments Howard heard her breathing slow and glanced down to see that she was back asleep. He decided that he would let her be for a while longer as he carefully reached across to his bedside table and picked up a draft speech for a presentation he had put together for later in the day. Knowing her as well as he did he ensured not to move her or she'd reawaken so simply whispered through the words, the light from a lamp not an issue. Occasionally he would make sure John was still content before wondering how he was going to look interesting and reliable during the discussion in a few hours, considering how tired he would be and how much he preferred being at home with these two.


	4. Halloween

**Note:** Let's just pretend the 31st October 2016 would be a weekday where the practice was open.

* * *

Emma, carrying 4 month old John against her side, entered The Mill and went across to the reception desk where Mrs Tembe was smiling at them. As much as he was adorable normally in Emma's opinion she knew the amusement would mainly because the baby was wearing a bright orange pumpkin costume with matching hat. He fitted in perfectly with the Halloween decorated waiting area which had fake cobwebs and spiders all around.

"You look very nice today, Dr Reid."

"Thank you, I actually had time to brush my hair today which has made a difference. Is Howard in his office?"

"I think I saw him go to speak with Dr Grainger. Would you like me to phone that office?"

"No, no, he knows I was coming to pick him up. I may just go see if he left his door open so we can surprise him." Howard had not been aware of any plans for dressing up their baby and wanted to have a little fun.

"Dr Reid, I don't know if I can let you."

Emma sighed, trying to move this along quickly before her idea was scuppered. Sometimes their receptionist took her job a little too seriously. "Mrs Tembe, I'm only wanting to plop this little pumpkin on his desk whilst I kneel down and hold him up for the two minutes until Howard collects his things. I won't touch a single thing."

Emma knew that if she could focus Mrs Tembe's attention on John then the cute factor would win it for them, which she did by kissing his cheek earning a smile from both others. "Well, I suppose if it is only for a little moment. But if the door is locked I will not help you."

"I'll just pick the lock if that is the case." She replied over her shoulder with a wink.

They had barely been gone any time when the practice manager in question appeared. "Has Emma been in yet?"

"Do you think I have nothing better to do than wait for the various people that are in all your lives?" It wasn't a lie exactly so she could allow herself to play along with Emma's plan.

"I'm sorry I asked. Tell her I'm in here when she does." Raising a brow at her sudden abruptness, he turned and headed in the direction of his office, complaining under his breath as his height caused some of the webbing to get into his hair.

Thankfully, Emma could hear her partner's grumbling from the other room so hurriedly got them prepared. She had a piece of black card in her bag with 'Happy Halloween' written on it which she attached string to so that it would go around the headrest of his chair. She had put both their names at the bottom with kisses and tried with limited success to draw related designs around the words.

As soon as she was in the office she had changed her mind about where to put John and sat him on the swivel chair, pushing it against the wall so he would be in Howard's line of sight as soon as he walked in and to protect him from getting sat on. It also meant that she did not have to be balancing him, she just had to make sure he stayed where he was - which was simple enough as he had recently became transfixed by Emma's hair so stared at that the whole time. The flatter base of the round costume allowed him to sit up with the support of the chair back as his hands felt the new fabric, aware these weren't his usual babygrows.

After a few minutes she wondered what was taking Howard so long - unaware of his hair issues - and was going to give up when she heard the handle turning. She grinned as she heard the familiar laugh as his eyes found their son.

"Look at you! Have you escaped and rolled away from your mummy?"

"Can you help me up?" He heard from beneath the desk and walked around, laughing when he saw her looking sheepish. Holding out his hands he pulled her up, careful that she didn't hit her head, and kissed her when she was at her full height.

Straightening her clothing, she rolled her eyes at his smirk, "I forgot how difficult crouching for a while was in a skirt and heels, and I'm impressed that Mrs Tembe kept this surprise a secret."

"Well, haven't you had a creative day?" He said, lifting the make-believe pumpkin into his arms who made squeals of glee at the appearance of his other favourite person.

"I couldn't resist when I saw they had his size yesterday."

"We aren't leaving the house though tonight are we?" The thought of trick-or-treating was exhausting enough after the day of work he'd had, never mind actually doing it.

She let out a sharp laugh, "Course not, it's cold outside but at least we can take him to the door if we get people knocking and not look like we're just a pair of old fools."

"I don't think we can really hide that assumption about ourselves but he will be able to steal the limelight. What are these supposed to be?" He suddenly asked of her doodles on the small banner.

"It's obviously a cat." In her eyes that was the best of the drawings so god knows what he thought the others were.

"Right, yeah, how could I possibly have mistaken it for anything else?"

"This mocking from the man who has some sort of gunk in his hair," She said, picking out the silly string from the back of his head.

"I suppose you would make a good pass as a witch."

"Well at least I have you under my spell." She smirked, kissing him deeply enough to make his focus ebb and almost forget the child between them whom he was holding.

When they broke apart Howard decided to admit to some Halloween fun of his own. "I actually stopped off at the shop yesterday too and bought a couple of the real vegetable versions of pumpkins, do you fancy a bit of a carving competition tonight?"

"Challenge accepted. Do we use this moving version as a judge by seeing which he prefers to stare at?"

"What a good team we make," He agreed, lifting his briefcase with his other hand and headed towards the door.


	5. Exercise

"I'm going out for a jog." She watched Howard leave the house and tried not to let her thoughts get the better of her. Emma could not tell him that she wanted him to stay inside because of his possible responses. And then there was the chance that he would lie which was almost worse than the ideas floating around her head.

When he returned just over an hour later Emma was making a cup of tea for herself after putting their 8-week old son down to sleep for hopefully some hours. He kissed her as he poured water into a glass, noticing she was not as strongly participating in the contact as she usually did. Choosing not to address it directly, and understanding that her hormones were still not completely settled after pregnancy, he turned away to head to the bathroom to have a shower. He admitted he might be to blame himself as he was perspiring slightly and was flushed as it was hot outside.

"Howard…" He stopped upon hearing her call him back.

Facing her again in the kitchen he smiled, "Yeah?"

"It is just running you go away to do, isn't it?" She asked, running a hand through her hair.

"Well, I sometimes shake things up and go to the gym."

"Okay."

"Emma," He knew precisely when she was not telling him the full story and this was one of those occasions.

With a sigh she looked to him again, "Fine, have you met somebody else?"

"What?! Where on earth did that come from?" He could not understand what he was hearing.

"Is she at the gym? Some perfectly fit blonde?" She spat out, barely glancing across to him.

"There is no-one else." He stated, unable to comprehend this sudden change in her demeanour.

Her voice increased in volume as she continued, "Then why are you out every other night 'jogging'? I am sorry I just had _our_ baby and haven't been up for fooling around but surely you could have hidden this better!"

"Are you actually listening to yourself? I'm exercising to get in shape."

"Since your army days when have you cared about that?" She scoffed, feeling her anger rise as she believed he was not being honest. Her experience of being married to Sam had not set her up to be the most trustworthy of monogamy but she thought this relationship was going to be something more.

"Since we became parents to a kid that I want to see grow up for as long as we possibly can!" She could tell how affected he was by the fact he raised his voice, he was usually so in control of his emotions.

She was trying to find the words to reply to his hurt expression but was interrupted by the sound of John's cries from upstairs. He must have woken up at their shouting, not having experienced his parents having a real argument so far.

The infant had settled quickly but Emma had stayed in that room to avoid continuing the confrontation. She didn't even hear the top stair creak as it always did when someone stepped on it as she focused on her baby. Howard stood against the doorframe and watched her for a little while before softly clearing his throat to make her look around.

They fixed their eyes on the other before he spoke first. "I'm sorry about that, I shouldn't have shouted."

She shook her head gently, "No, I should be the one apologising. I just don't see why you would stick with me when you could have your choice of nice young women who do not exhaust themselves at work and turn into a moaning bitch to the people she loves. And let's not even start on how I look these days either."

He walked over to the side of the bed she was sitting on and joined her. He brought one of his hands up to cup the cheek furthest away from him and turned her head to face him.

"Emma Gale Reid, you are the most exquisite, beautiful person I have ever known and although you can be slightly neurotic, you are everything I want."

The use of her middle name caught her off guard as she barely used it, never mind anyone else. "There's definitely no other woman?" In her heart she knew Howard would not treat her that way, he was one of a kind and it tore her apart when her cynical mind attempted to tell her otherwise.

"I'm a middle-aged bore with a new baby - I don't think that's much of a catch to women who aren't you... But I suppose the new waitress in The Icon is conventionally attractive," He understood from the glare that his wit was not funny in this moment, "I'm kidding. It's always been you, and I never want you to forget that. After all the years it took us to get to this point do you think I would let you go?"

She leaned in and let their mouths mould together in a soft caress. The kiss deepened gradually as Emma lay down, pulling him along with her.

As they broke apart for breath, she mumbled, "The new one at The Icon? Maybe in your dreams you could get her but even then it's a bit of a leap."

"You know, I could just go for a shower now instead of being on the receiving end of your words." He replied, gently catching her bottom lip between with his teeth before their mouths connected again.

She stared in to his eyes as her hands deftly removed his t-shirt, her gaze making him forget his own name never mind any plans to leave the room.

Howard could guess where this was going and paused as he hovered above her. "Emma, are you sure? I don't mind waiting longer if you're not ready."

"It's been close to three months and I want to have sex with my fiancé." She said it so confidently that there wasn't any doubting how she felt in the moment. Their baby was finally asleep and they weren't needed for anything else.

"I don't know-" Interrupting his hesitation, she touched her lips to his softly at first.

Resting their foreheads together she whispered, "Just be gentle. Also, condom. We are taking no chances as we are not having another little accident." She loved baby Bellamy but she could not even joke over the thought of another.

"Course," he agreed, reaching across and opening the bedside drawer on his side.

"It just so happens you have them close to hand?" She commented, quirking her eyebrow at him with a smirk.

"Always be prepared."

She laughed against his shoulder. "Such a good boy scout."

He kissed down the side of her neck as it hit both how much they had missed this passion in the past few months. "I love you, Emma."

Emma knew her persuasion could be seen to be a quick way to overcome her self-conscious worries but for she had been trying to find a way to broach the subject of sex but the opportunity had always passed by. There was still a hint of wanting to make sure she remained the only one on his mind, yet her own desire for him had been bordering on silly in the past week. The mistaken jealousy had manifested itself from that. "Love you too."


	6. Marks

Emma was sitting on the floor, staring at their son who was wriggling around on his back, almost oblivious to Howard's appearance after he returned home from work. He hung up his jacket and took off his shoes as still the silence persisted. "Afternoon to you too. Thanks for asking how my day has been. It's so nice to come home to such stimulating conversation."

She tipped her head backwards and looked at him upside down. "Sorry. I'm just… John has a rash and I don't like the look of it." She said, pointing to the mark on the baby's cheek.

A vague trace of worry entered his mind, he trusted a professional opinion and in this situation she took on that role. "How long has it been there?" It was during these moments that Howard wished he knew more about caring for babies because he honestly never felt as though he acted like he had imagined fatherhood would be.

"About an hour; I thought you would have been home a little sooner or I'd have taken him over to The Mill or St Phil's but no, you had to pick today to dawdle." She found it simpler to snap at him for his usually perfect time keeping than take it out on anyone else. He didn't take notice since his mind was elsewhere and her complaints found new topics each day to jump on to.

"Come here little soldier," he muttered, bending over and picking up John to rest in the crook of his arm. Emma got to her feet and fidgeted next to them as her concern grew, her nerves evident. He saw the red smudge on his pale skin - the complexion another trait his girlfriend had passed down to their son.

"I mean, it could just be the beginnings of a patch of eczema but what if it's not?" He was allowing her to babble away into his ear without listening as he looked from one to the other, an idea forming.

When she next paused for breath he interrupted, "Emma, kiss my cheek."

"What? This is serious!"

He rolled his eyes at her irritation. "Fine, press your lips against your own hand and see the colour it leaves behind." She continued to look at him with a hint of a glare.

"Your lipstick, Emma, that's what it is. I guess it's one of those long-lasting ones that resists rubbing off yet still transfers after kissing." He had experienced enough of the products in question to recognise the pattern of staining.

She hadn't even considered it was as easy as that. The effort of putting any cosmetics on, including lipstick, had felt too much for the previous couple of months but John had been sleeping when she dressed this morning and she'd put it on with barely a second thought. She also had been hesitant in trying to remove the 'rash' in case it had caused more harm than be of benefit.

His eyes followed hers to the mirror over his shoulder where she was focusing on her lips, wondering if he was in fact correct. She had been sitting with John on her lap whilst having a snack and could vaguely recall leaning down to touch her lips to his cheek before quickly putting him back to his chair when a delivery man knocked on the door.

"How did you pass your medical exams?"

She responded by throwing the entire packet of baby wipes at the back of his head. He gently bounced John as he opened the wipes and used one on the face looking up at him. "I could train as a doctor with these skills."

He turned around laughing at her voice from behind them, "Do you know where you can stick those skills?"

"Can you imagine if you had went to the hospital and after undoubtedly telling your entire list of qualifications to be told it was a bit of lippy? Mummy would have looked so silly." He joked, making faces to entertain their child.

"And Daddy might be sleeping on the couch tonight if he keeps this up. If I hear one word about this at the Mill you'll get a lot worse hitting you than baby wipes." She warned, lifting herself up to kiss both males. A second later she paused and avoided rising to Howard's smirk as she took the wipe from between his fingers and rubbed off the new marks she had left on them.


	7. Christmas

**Note:** Apologies for bringing up Christmas but this was the tiny scene I had words for.

* * *

Christmas day and dinner with a baby was a challenge in itself leading to Emma and Howard being exhausted from all by four o'clock. She had left the other two downstairs as she went to change her top after a small incident involving their child and the plate of turkey and gravy they were trying him out with.

She walked into the living room and felt her heart melt at the scene she faced. Howard was lying asleep on the sofa with John on his torso, almost exactly mirroring his father's positioning. Her partner was still wearing the golden paper hat from a cracker which had slipped down to cover his closed eyes. Looking at this meant that she simply could not muster any irritation that he had immediately decided to nap instead of loading up the dishwasher which she had asked him to.

Most people they knew always spoke of the similarities between Emma and the baby but it was serene moments like these where she thought the resemblance lay much firmer in the other genetic lineage. His jaw profile was getting stronger by the day and he definitely seemed enthusiastic about the choices of PowerPoint colour themes Howard chose for presentations. Although anything would seem enthusiastic when compared to Emma's reactions when the man was trying to show off.

She carefully removed John from under the hand protecting him, and placed him back on a beanbag they had downstairs for him. Although the scenario had been cute she was petrified in case either Howard moved or his breathing became heavier and John lost his balance.

"John?" She heard the mutterings from behind her as the barely-awake Howard realised there was no longer any weight pressing down on his body.

"It's okay, I have him."

"Emma…"

"No, I'm Mrs Claus." She joked, gathering the wrapping paper from the earlier presents into a pile. There were decorations from their Christmas tree scattered all over the floor whilst none remained on the lower branches as John had found a new hobby of reaching up and pulling off as many as he could before a parent moved him away.

"Would she like to have a Christmas cuddle then?" He asked, raising the paper ring from one of his eyes and winking up at her.

"That's a whole different level of kinky, have you been looking in my dress-up box?" She smirked, leaning over and kissing him firmly.

"There are things that would alter my outlook of the world and that is one of them."

She pretended to look offended before a smile broke across her lips, "You'd love it, or is it only camouflage that you like?"

"You do look great in camo but in the meantime, get here," He said, turning on to his side to make space for her. It was a bit of a tight squeeze but they made it comfortable by lacing their legs together and she fitted perfectly under his chin.

Kissing her when she tilted her head back, he stroked his finger down her cheek, "Merry Christmas, Emma."

"Merry Christmas, Howard."

It was their second consecutive festive season as a couple and they were much calmer this time round. The previous year - although she was beginning to get quite big - they had both went out to make it the best time they could, resulting in petty arguments starting easily and a ridiculous amount of money being spent. This time, however, had been a lovely experience and admittedly they had bought more presents than strictly necessary for an eight-month old but as first Christmases went they thought he really enjoyed the cardboard boxes everything came in.

His arm wrapped around her waist as she let her own eyelids shut. They expected to be woken shortly due to crying or John finding out how many musical and squeaking toys he had received. For the moment though they could have a rest in the other's arms.


	8. First Day Back

"Howard, do you have any idea where my big black handbag is?" Emma said, raising her voice to be heard over the tap running as he brushed his teeth.

He groaned as he tried to answer, "No, do you need it?"

She glared over his shoulder at him in the mirror, "What do you think? I sorted it last night with everything I need for today."

"Check in the living room then," With a roll of his eyes silence upstairs was restored as she went down to the other room. He understood that she was apprehensive about returning to work at The Mill after maternity leave but he had not been prepared for this amount of manic rushing around.

They had recently been dedicating entire evenings to her desire to work again and although he supported whatever she wanted to do, he had persuaded her to wait until after the festive and new year madness had calmed. Emma herself knew she would miss the quiet days and the time spent with John but she was still ultimately the same person as before and needed her job.

She reached the front room and noticed an envelope leaning against the vase of flowers on the coffee table with the word 'Mummy' written in the centre. In confusion she opened it and found a handmade card inside. There was a larger handprint blue in colour which took up most of the page, with a small red handprint inside the other and 'good luck!' across the top written in silver glitter. She knew Howard's writing anywhere when she looked at the words inside and felt herself melt at the consideration.

Emma turned to face her partner when she heard him enter and tried to hide that inside her emotions were at a maximum. "This is too cute."

"Did you seriously think we would ignore this momentous day?"

"You used glitter and paint with our baby? You - the most organised human I've ever known - and the child who has been known to get filthy from simply watching me having strawberries chose to open a pot of the messiest craft substances?" She asked in disbelief.

"You're worth it." His arms circled around her waist as he leaned down for a kiss, smiling at the fact he had almost made her visibly tear up over something so easy. Emma carefully felt behind her and put the card back down so it didn't get crushed as she responded fervently.

He broke the contact a little moment later, "You can't be late on your first day back, how would that look?"

"I'm sure my boss would be forgiving." She said, gently pulling him to her lips again by his tie.

"Okay, I'll put it differently, we don't want the nursery chucking us out on John's first full-day because we turn up late." She sighed but released her hold whilst he continued outlining the plan, "I will go get him ready, and your bag is down the side of the couch."

She leaned against the wall with a small smile on her lips, the card back in her hand. If someone had told her a couple of years ago this would be how time was to play out she'd never have believed it. Having a child had been the last imaginable event they could have thought of, even when they enrolled into the ludicrous 40 day dates.

She was interrupted from her silent reverie as the other two members of the household joined her. "Come on Dr Reid, look sharp and get a move on."

She quickly took the smiling infant and kissed him multiple times, "Thank you little mister. I bet you were a total angel making that card."

Howard laughed as he took the proferred child back into his arms while Emma picked up her compact mirror, "All I will say is it's a good thing I kept the massive dust sheets from last redecoration because it went everywhere as did he whilst trying to stand up."

She dabbed her lips before outwardly sighing, "Howard, tell me truthfully, do I look okay?" Most of her baby weight had gone by now but dealing with the general public required a step further.

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and ram his thumb down her cheek. "Perfect, and speaking as practice manager I must highlight and applaud that your attire today is much more appropriate than some past outfits."

"Hey, you've never complained as practice manager or otherwise." Emma replied, toying with the collar of her shirt - which admittedly did button higher than most of her wardrobe. "I could go and change into something a little more befitting of this reputation you create of me."

He shook his head and pressed against the base of her spine to make her move. "Remind me why I signed off on you returning?"

"I'm an invaluable asset to your entire world." She replied with a smirk.

He begrudgingly huffed agreement to her smirk as she put her heels on and grabbed the elusive bag along with his briefcase, whilst Howard took everything baby-related to the car.


	9. Shopping

They never knew what to expect taking John to the supermarket as the fear of being the parents of that child screaming the place down was at the forefront of their minds. Emma had tried to convince Howard that online shopping was the way to go but as always he liked doing everything for himself. The weekend was a safer option as they could go together and it was almost a guarantee that there would be other young kids conveying their lack of enthusiasm. At least with this particular child they knew if they kept him full with the correct snacks while walking round it would placate him.

Emma sat him at the end of the checkout, making less room to actually pack the shopping but giving her use of both hands. He stared at the young woman who was on the till as she started to scan the items.

"Are you saying hello?" Emma cooed, rubbing his cheek and receiving a open-mouthed smile in return.

"Did you put this in the trolley?" Howard asked his partner as he held up a small toy car which mimicked a red Ferrari.

She tried to act nonchalant and hide the laugh inside her, "He must have the dream of owning a Ferrari for longer than a week just like his daddy. Would I really do that to you?" She commented, opening the packaging and rolling it across to their son who began to fiddle with it immediately.

He raised his brows in response, "I know that you would do exactly that." Whilst his parents continued their usual playful bickering John was smiling and showing his new toy to the shop worker.

He finished putting the bags in to the trolley and laughed when their son grumbled at being taken away from a new acquaintance, "Come on, you're far too young for flirting. You may have learnt from the best but you have to hone your skills."

"He's going to be a heartbreaker when he gets older." The shop assistant said, waving goodbye to the child.

Howard nodded, "I know, I'm going to leave a trail of pining women in my wake… he might be alright too."

Emma rolled her eyes and shoved against his shoulder whilst the girl giggled at the couple. "Feel lucky you only have to put up with him for a few minutes, I have it all the time."

In the car park, as they put the bags into the boot he moved their two pairs of wellies which still resided there and caught her eye, "You would miss this Land Rover too much if I traded it for a sports car."

"Obviously, there are a lot of good memories in here." She replied with a smirk as she recalled some of the times they had been in the car. If they had been caught on some occasions they would have criminal records whereas other events such as going to prenatal scans were treasured for altogether more innocent reasons. "I wouldn't miss having to step up to get inside though."

"I can always give you a boost. And what would we have done on those afternoons the rain poured down and we chose to keep warm by using this space?"

"Played I-spy." She joked, lifting John into his car seat where the toy found its way quickly to the floor in favour of him attempting to pull off his shoes.

"As if we would be standing here five years later with a kid if we had played I-spy all that time."

She looked at him in mock astonishment, "Are you disregarding the fact we were destined to be together?"

"Course not," Kissing her softly, he squeezed her close before they went to their sides of the car. They both did believe they would have eventually tried again as a couple but whether that would have worked out or not was irrelevant now. Agreeing to continue the pregnancy had been the point where they were forced to decide what they wanted to be with each other - as much as they would have coped being single parents they had always wanted to be in the relationship. Shopping was still something they'd rather not have to do regardless of having a family now but doing it together did allow for the more enjoyable parts to calm down the supermarket stress.


	10. Night Out

"It feels weird not having him with us, doesn't it?" She said, swirling the red wine around in her glass, as she felt Howard's hand resting just above her knee. They were at a summer party held by the town council which he had been invited to as practice manager and she had been initially excited about being his plus-one.

"Yeah but it's a nice opportunity to have a night where we get to put on our fancy clothes and not worry about getting them covered in sick." Emma nodded slightly in agreement, she honestly was enjoying being with Howard on their own for the first time since having their baby but they had grown so used to the new routine.

He stood up and asked her, "Care for a dance?"

"No, Howard, please."

"Why not?"

"I'm not ready for dancing."

"Well then we can sway."

"Sway? Why do we even have to move?" She pouted up at him, glad it was only him nearby as she tried to reason, "This zip is barely holding together, I'm still about a stone heavier-" The navy dress she was wearing had been her first choice as she thought it might support her currently less desirable features better. The control underwear and good cosmetics had been dug out desperately as soon as Howard had brought home the invitation yet even with that she didn't particularly feel presentable. Howard vehemently disagreed.

"Emma, you look stunning and the straps will keep those," he said as his eyes flicked down to her cleavage, "mostly covered if it does break. You are already wearing a cardigan - nobody would notice."

"People will laugh." She had dressed up in ridiculous costumes so many times during her time at The Mill but her self-confidence had dipped now as she kept seeing herself at her heaviest pregnancy weight.

"Let them. I think we're long past the embarrassment of gossip and hilarity and there is hardly anyone we know here - which is disappointing as several of our colleagues agreed to come."

"I think they had the right idea." Her protests were silenced with a lingering kiss as he leaned down to take another sip of his drink while they conversed.

He ran his hand along the base of her neck, "We can sneak off home soon but we need to make sure we're seen to have been an active guest."

"I could be active by heading to the door," she muttered under her breath, "We - okay, you - have mingled all night, they all know we're here and most were told that there's a small baby waiting at home."

"One dance Emma." He smiled charmingly at her and she felt her resolve weaken.

"You owe me a dress if this splits in any way." She challenged as she accepted his hand and got to her feet.

Their height difference was still noticeable but it was lessened by her heels. Emma rested her head against his shoulder as his fingers ran down her waist while she mumbled,"You don't dance."

"I decided to throw caution to the wind as we don't know when we'll next get the chance."

They weren't necessarily in time with the beat but as he had presumed: nobody cared. Everyone else was too busy with their own activities to notice a couple on the edge of the floor.

She felt the vibration of his voice reverb in his chest when he spoke, "I can just imagine the torment John is putting Niamh through. He won't be settling without his mummy and meanwhile he'll be missing me popping across to accidentally make him reawaken whilst you get all huffy at me."

"I knew you're missing him too, you can't hide it well! Do we want to grab our coats, go pick him up and head home?" The knowledge that he was softening made her more confident as she started her persuasion again.

"I suppose we have spent a while here. Though I have enjoyed showing off how lucky I am to have an all-round lovely partner."

She smiled up at him, lacing their fingers together as they returned to the table. "Someone is trying to get even luckier tonight by the sound of it. But seriously, what did we do only a few months ago when he wasn't here? We were good at staying out until small hours now we're like those parents that have attachment issues."

Howard helped her into her jacket and squeezed her gently, "He's new, we can allow ourselves the luxury of him until he gets older and doesn't want to be related to us."


	11. Breakfast in Bed

"Emma?" Howard knew she wasn't working on this particular day and he had also taken a holiday, but also was aware that her body clock was fine-tuned to wake at the same time each day. He nudged open their bedroom door with his hip as he said her name, thankful that he had been correct with his assumption she'd he awake.

"What have you got there?" She asked, pushing herself up to a sitting position.

He looked down at his full arms of John, a plate and a bottle of orange juice, "Birthday breakfast in bed."

There hadn't been enough time since opening her eyes to register what date it was.

"Baby or food first?"

Emma considered it for a few seconds before a plan came to mind, "Baby - that way you can still pass me food." She smirked up at him, knowing her ability to win him over.

Howard all but dropped John on to her abdomen before she held the child up in the air as he giggled. His legs were kicking maniacally as she made him 'fly' whilst her other half poured the juice into the glasses they had next to their bed for water.

Soon after, Howard rejoined her on the bed and lay on his side with the plate between them.

"Happy birthday love."

"Thank you. How long have you been awake for?!"

"It didn't take too long since I had sorted it last night. Your present and card are downstairs but I thought we'd leave that until later."

"You don't have a whole day of 'fun' activities planned do you, because I'd rather just stay here with you pair."

"Such a spoilsport but no, I didn't make plans."

Howard leaned across and let their son take hold of one finger as Emma made faces up to him.

"He's getting heavy." She commented, realising that she must have dressed John in sleepwear that was slightly short on his arms.

"That's what they're meant to do."

A mock glare was given to her partner sharply. "Why do we put up with your daddy?" She joked, kissing the baby on his cheek.

"Pancakes," Howard replied as he tore one smaller and hovered it above her mouth. Emma lifted her head and took it from his fingers, pausing to tease by running her lips slowly over his skin.

"Yes, pancakes, that is exactly why I'm choosing to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Well at least I have some skills." He replied, kissing her on the lips after she seated John on her stomach with his back being supported by her thighs.

Groaning as she nestled into his side she complained, "I'm becoming more of a geriatric mother by the day."

"Ah, but you don't look it." He muttered with his mouth against her neck and a finger running down her waist under her pyjama top.

"Behave, I need more food if that's your idea for this morning." She picked up one of the pancakes and tore a piece of for herself and another smaller bit for John. The dark-haired child grinned wildly as he captured back the attention of his parents. Crawling across his mother's body - garnering moans as his little knees dug in to her ribs and breasts - he headed straight for the plate of food.

"I gave him baby food when we were making these and he happily finished that whole lot too."

"No wonder he's getting chunky." Howard laughed in response as he took a drink. On the uneven duvet surface John quickly toppled to his side but managed to end up closer to the pancakes. He grabbed one in his hand and saw it rip down the middle. Turning around to Emma once more he placed one half on her wrist with a smile.

"That's his present to you clearly." She nodded her agreement whilst eating said present and lacing her fingers through Howard's, content exactly as they were.


	12. Steps

Emma was kneeling at one end of the rug, facing Howard who was sat at the other. Over the course of some days they had watched their child growing more confident in walking some steps on his own. They had spent the morning trying to persuade John to practice that skill but he had been more interested in the box of toys that had spilled over the carpet. In the last half hour though he had taken a couple of falls as he tried to move around himself.

She held him up by his waist, kissing the top of his head whilst speaking. "John, there's daddy, go give him a hug." Instead, he dropped himself back on to his bottom and simply smiled at his parents who sighed in exasperation again.

She had learnt the hard way not to throw the soft toys in their baby's line of sight or else all hell would break loose. Getting on to her hands she herself crawled and passed it to Howard, with a hope that John wouldn't copy exactly. Howard kissed her forehead before she shifted backwards to her spot.

"Look, he's got Fluffy, go get him." Howard waved the bear's hand in their direction whilst Emma had a finger in their son's fists as she got him to his feet again. She let go when he felt stable enough and was momentarily excited at the initial progress made.

Howard mirrored her hope as he spoke. "Come on, little guy, just a few more steps."

"Quickly before he starts going 'left, right, left, right'." She couldn't help but use her best Yorkshire military accent as always when imitating him.

"Oi, you think your own voice is much better? I'm sure you've tried to get it even less common than years back."

"Well, at least I try." With their loving bickering an hourly event in the house they were actually surprised that John hadn't learned that walking would allow him a faster escape than he currently achieved.

Three quarters of the way across he was doing brilliantly but then gave up again. Howard threw a cushion at his partner as she was finding it increasingly amusing on each failed attempt but she skillfully dodged it. "Running a GP surgery is easier than getting this one to do what we want."

She flashed him a wide smile and a raise of a brow, "You say that but you are loving this." She had to admit that although there were countless more productive tasks requiring attention it was moments such as this that she wouldn't change. She and Howard were stronger than ever now that they had a tangible reason to get through their arguments in a more constructive way, and she was finally grasping the enjoyment of motherhood.

As they were busy locking their gaze to the other's pair of eyes, it took a moment to notice that John had got back up on to his feet and was hesitantly wobbling across to Howard. When they eventually did look they simultaneously decided not to say a word but couldn't help the smiles overtaking their faces.

Howard sat him on his lap, hugging him tight, "You did it! See, we knew you could!" The boy was already more interested in making sure Fluffy was unharmed - he preferred everything to be in perfect condition like his dad and if not he would want to patch them up, like Emma. Even if he did not resemble them in looks as much as he did, his personality would direct anyone to who his parents were.

Emma had lain back on the floor in exhausted elation as her two boys made contact. When she opened her eyes again Howard was standing over her with his arms out, waiting to help her up.

After he pulled her to her feet his arms wrapped around Emma's waist and rested his chin on the top of her head. "I think we deserve some praise for lasting that out."

"Well done, Howard." She said, shifting to allow the pressing of her lips to his.

"Well done you too," he mumbled, mentally calculating how long it was until they could claim it was bedtime for all.


End file.
